The Domain Name System (“DNS”) is a hierarchical naming system for devices connected to the Internet and is built on databases distributed across a plurality of DNS servers. Its primary purpose is to translate user-friendly domain names to the Internet Protocol (“IP”) addresses used by devices connected to the Internet. When a DNS request (also known as a “DNS query”) is made for a domain name, such as when a user types in a URL address to find a specific Internet site, the request reaches the top level of servers that form the DNS and travels down the hierarchical system of servers until the IP address corresponding to the domain name is located. If an entry for the requested domain name is found, a DNS reply is issued containing the appropriate IP address to the requestor.
The DNS servers storing domain name databases are deployed worldwide but located in a finite number of locations. Therefore, in a particular network having a confined network boundary, such as a national network in a geographical national boundary, a corporate network in a logical corporation boundary, or a network operated by an Internet service provider (“ISP”), a user may have to make necessary DNS queries to DNS servers outside the network boundary to resolve a domain name, even if the device corresponding to the domain name may be itself within the network boundary. When the network is temporarily or permanently partitioned or isolated from the global Internet, users of the network may be unable to even access websites hosted within the network boundary because domain name resolution would be interrupted due to the failure to access one or more DNS servers located outside of network boundary.
Therefore, it may be desirable to have a DNS package capable of self-sufficiently operating within a network to provide domain name resolution services in the event of network partition or isolation.